Feancis macholdt



(ModeL) F. MACHOLDT. APPARATUS FOR FUMIGATING AND PRESBRVING P0013.

Patented July 4, 1882 ATTORNEY N. PETERS. Phowmm n m wumn m n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS MAOHOLDT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FoR FUMIGATING AND'PRESERVING FOOD.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 260,489, dated July 4, 1882,

Application filed Aprill8,1882. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS MAOEOLDT, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PreservingSafes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to an improved preserving-safe for victuals, fruit, and other articles and the invention consists of a preserving-chamber which is closed by an air-tight cover and provided at theinside with a receptacle for burning sulphur after the safe is closed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents aperspective view of my improved preserving-safe, and Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate the corresponding parts.

In the drawings, Arepresents a preservingchamber of any desired size, which is provided with a front opening, with interior perforated or wire shelves, and with a bottom, B, having an inclined rim. A cover, 0, of the same size as the preserving-chamber A, is tightly fitted over the same, and can be readilyraiscd thereon, as far as required, to remove any of the articles in the preserving-chamber, as shown in Fig. 1; or it can be entirely removed therefrom when the preserving-chamber is desired to be cleaned. It is for this purpose provided with a button or handle at the top part, or with side handles, as desired, according to the size of the preserving-safe.

In place of making the cover 0 like a hood, extending over the entire preserving-chamber, it may be arranged simply as a slide in front of the opening of the chamber, in which case it has to be guided in hermetically-packed Ways at both sides of the chamber A and closed in a similar manner at the top and bottom. The cover (3 is tightly closed at the lower part either by means of a hydraulic seal, which is obtained by filling the bottom B of the preserving-chamberA with salt-water, or, if water should not bedesired, by filling it with sand or any other suitable packing-such as felt and tallow-provided that the cover is hermetically closed at the lower part to the bottom B, so as to prevent the ingress of air.

The preserving-safe is used in the following manner: From time to time-say once every da-ya small quantity of sulphur or any other chemical substance of similar antiseptic properties, which may be arranged either in the form of a match or as a strip of sulphurpaper, or otherwise, is burned at the inside of the preserving-chamber A, the cover being quickly placed over the preserving-chamber after the sulphur or other equivalent material has been ignited. The burning of the sulphur absorbs the oxygen of the'air contained in the preserving-chamber and fills theinterior space withthefumes ofsulphurous acid, which fumes are a well-known preserving agent. The small quantity of fumes of sulphurous acid which is diffused in the interior of the preserving-safe, together with the exclusion of the air from the articles stored in the safe, tends to preserve them in a perfectly-reliable manner with less expense than is incurred for ice in the refrigerators in general use.

Actual tests have shown that but a small quantity of sulphur has to be burned each day to preserve the meat,food, and other perishable articles for several days without imparting the least deleterious or objectionable smell or taste thereto, the sulphur-fumes acting in the same manner as when employed in casks for preserving wines and other liquids.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In a preserving-safe, the combination of a preserving-chamber, being open at one side, and having an interior receptacle for burning sulphur or any other equivalent chemical, with a sliding cover, and with means whereby'the cover is hermetically secured to the preserving-chamber when closed, substantially as set Tanners MAOHOLDT.

Witnesses PAUL GOEPEL, LoUIs 0. RAEGENER. 

